Wednesday, 27 May 2015

There was a period in the early 1980's when the RPG hobby got interested in Oriental folklore and mythology - as a consequence, most of the main manufacturers started producing samurai and ninjas, as well as a whole host of unpleasant creatures for them to battle. Next out of the lead mountain was one of Asgard's offerings for the genre.

Now, Asgard sculpts generally fall into two categories - good, or awful. This is one of the good ones. I think it is by the same guy who did this - possibly Jes Goodwin?

The figure was pleasure to paint - a nice clean sculpt, and no flash to clear - and as with all Asgard figures, keeping it simple really helps. Basically the only contentious issue was the skin colour - I normally avoid blue, as I find it a difficult colour to shade well, but the use of GW ink washes really helped here. A few highlights and then - done!

I am really pleased with the way this one turned out - I think it holds up really well for a figure that is nearly 35 years old - and my only regret is that I can't see it getting much table top time. To be honest I don't buy in to the entire Oriental genre within D&D, and none of my campaigns have that flavour. A bit of a shame really :(

Sunday, 17 May 2015

And now a bit of a
mystery item. I know what it is - it's an Air or Wind Elemental - but apart from
that, I know nothing else about it. It has no base markings, no
tell-tale clues on the styling of the base to hint who might have
produced it... nothing. I've checked on Lost Minis - nada. Even Google
Images turned up zilch. So - if anyone can identify this, please let me
know!

Regardless of the manufacturer, I think it's a terrific figure, really well sculptured and with tons of energy and character. And look at the size of it next to a late Asgard Dwarf King! The only criticism I have is the casting - it is of hard alloy (not lead like a lot of the early sculpts I own... hmm... bit of a clue there) and it had a quite prominent casting line right down the centre, which took a lot of time to file down.

Once that was done, the paint job was easy - gray primer, then GW blue wash, followed by lots and LOTS of white dry brushing. Simples! As for the base - I wanted the effect of it rising and moving out of a cloud, and then leaving a trail of vapour behind it. That is simply cotton wool, pulled out into a form that suggests swirling and movement.

I am pleased with the outcome of this one - minimal effort for a good result. I can see this one getting LOTS of table top time!